The diamond drill., 1887-04-02
AN IMPOSING CEREMONY.
Cardinal Gibbons Installed in His Ii
tular Church, Santa Maria.


On the % inst. Cardinal Gibbons, of
Baltimore was formally installed as titular
Priest of the Church of Santa Maria, which
lies in a quiet corner of Rome. Behind IL
rises a kill, on which, according TO pious
tradition, st. Peter was crucifed, head
downwards. Before IL is a sleepy piazza
with splashing fountain. The long, mar
row arcade through which you enter the
building is decorated with moldering fres-
Goes and marble tablets, and most days in
the week the interior of the church is filed
with the droning voices of little children
reciting their catechism or singing simple
hymns. Monks ani nuns haunt the ven
erable aisles. OF all old churches IN Rome
Santa Maria IN Trasteyere is, perhaps, the
oldest, qunintes', and most powerful. All
the bells of Rome were changing Friday
morning as at 10 o'clock Cardinal Gibbons
left the American College and drove
through the tort nous streets of the Eternal
City TO Santa Maria. Now and then a
grudging ray of sunlight glinted on the
Cardinal. In the piazza facing the church
all was life and hustle. Carriage after
earring Stiashed up 10 the door; working
men and contadini from the campagna
streamed noisily in and ont of the edifice;
the splashing of the water i'm the fountain
mingled with the voices of children scold-
ing their mothers, while through the
ancient porch, frightened by scraps of
red and golden drapery, one got glimpses
OF the restless multitude peasants,
priests, American bellies, and humble labor
ers-all pressing eagerly towards the can
dies upon the high altar.
When the Cardinal alghted from his
carriage he looked pale but happy. The
Cardinal, having donned the scarlet cappa
with fur lined hood and mozzetto, was
sprinkling bystanders with holy water.
white .robed priest swung thurible before
his Eminence, and The procession moved
slowly on, in a cloud of incense, through
the nave, across the light aisle, and into
the chapel of the blessed sacrament, where
the Cardinal and Bishops knelt in prayer,
while the choir in the gilded organ loft of
the trancapt burst into an exultant song.
At last the Cardinal, preceded by canons
basilica and acolytes with censor and cru
cihx, reached the altar steps. There was
transient vision of scarlet, purple. white,
and gold as the cortege passed round the
altar. The Cardinal, this time wearing
the beretta, took seat on chair beneath
the red and white canopy fringed with god
to hear the bull read appointing him
titular priests of the Basilica. THIS cere-
mony ended the Cardinal rose. holding
the beretta i'm both hands, aud began n
short address. First thanking the Holy
Father for having given him charge OF thu
beautiful old church, he glided into pa
triotic eulogy of the civil and religions
liberty of America, which, thanks 60 the
grace of God had permitted the Catholi,
Church to grcr into large tree, spread
ing its branches through the length and
breadth of the land. Recalling the late
encycical of the Pope he showed that
Catholicism flourished under all Govern.
ments. "For myself he continued, with
deep sense OF pride and gratitude say,
here in this great Capital OF Christendom,
that ! belong TO n country whore civil gov
ernment holds over us the mgis OF its pro.
lection. Our country has liberty without
license and authority without dcsp0tism;
ID erects no wall TO exclude strangers, and
no frowning fertilization TO repel In.
vaders." He added: "Her hnrbors open
on the Atlantic and the Pacific" After
passing reference 60 the social problems
now engaging the attention OF Americans,
the Cardinal blessed the bystanders and
resumed his seat. The choir burst into
Te Deum, the procession reformed. and
the Cardinal passed down the altar steps
into the sacristy, where for quarter Of an
hour he sat receiving congratulations aud
chatting pleasantly with his friends.